The Smiling Flower
by Aqua-Chorus
Summary: Namine has been crushing on Zack forever! But what will happen when he invites her to meet a couple of his friends... XxX Coupling may change XxX


A/N: Hi everyone, been away for a long time and just can't find the time to do anything. But I found this old thing I wrote TIME ago and decided to make a story of it =) I quite like the idea but I'm not exactly sure were it's going, so for now, I'm labelling it as a RoxasXNamine Fic but it might change in time as the story develops (IF the story develops) So enjoy^^

**Disclaimer: ** All Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy Characters belong to whoever owns them (unfortunately not me TT^TT)

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_The sun rises and the sun sets. The planet, incessant on its voyage, is endless. Days, months...years go by, as age shrouds our bodies hauling us closer to the darkness...eternal sleep. People proceeding on with their normal routine whilst occupying their care-free lives with each other: No matter how long it takes, they live and die for each other. One, powerful emotion enables all this. Like a young light forcing itself out of the surrounding darkness, opening a path, for all those lost, to follow. This small yet powerful emotion, making all those envious who cannot find it. I would be one of those...one of those fools, taking what I had for granted. Casting aside those who stood by me and extracting every single drop of faith I had left. What is it? ...Love._

_Warm liking or affection for a person: affectionate devotion. Love is a very strong emotion, and (so they say) leads to happiness. So, do people search for each other to receive happiness? I s 'finding happiness' the purpose of ones' creation? Happiness cannot be defined, can it? It means something different to everyone, and people find it many different ways, but once you've found it...Is it possible to lose it? And if so, can you find it again? ...It makes me wonder. How lost you'll all get...How long you'll take. It can be hard to find your own answer. It feels like I've given up, mislaid all the hope I had remaining. But I mustn't give up, I must continue my search. No matter how long or how hard it may seem, I won't give up. I'll keep striding forth, pacing forward, and when I fall I will stand back up and walk. Everyone has to lose their way once. It's the only way they learn...Everyone._

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_Chapter 1_

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"Hey, Namine, you okay?"

Namine had spent the most of first period staring out of window; conveniently she sat near the back row on the seat that generally received the most sunlight which usually made it difficult to see the interactive board at the front of the class but made a great excuse if she was ever caught day dreaming by Miss Kisaragi. She turned her head to where the voice was coming from, her best friend, Kairi.

"Hmm...Yeah 'course." She replied, returning to her pervious positions, staring out the window.

"Yeah...that's why you've ignored Miss Kisaragi, like five times."

Namine quickly turned her head to the front of the class, to see Miss Kisaragi leaning against one of the walls looking directly at Namine, not angry but annoyed.

"Erm, Miss, I-"

"Yeah, I know, couldn't see the board. Just try to pay attention."

Namine could feel her cheeks heating up a bit as she could hear some of the students sniggering. This happened really frequently. She just couldn't keep focused on one thing for too long, unless it was something to do with art, then she'd be able to concentrate for hours and hours. But as much she enjoyed languages, it just got boring after a while.

For the remainder of the lesson, Miss Kisaragi had given out a piece of plain paper to everyone to write down their likes and dislikes in German, then they'd have to get into pairs and ask each other about what they liked or disliked. Kairi had pushed her desk to join it with Namine's. They were partners in everything. They both filled out their lists and began asking each other questions.

"Okay, Namine...Was ist deine Lieblingsgruppe?" Kairi had perfect pronunciation.

"Hmmm, Meine Lieblingsgruppe ist Boys Like Girls. Okay, Wie findest du Liebesfilme, Kairi?"

"Ich finde sie sehr romantisch."

Later on, the lesson came to an end and all the students were rushing towards the exits. Next was science with Miss Gainsborough. Not that people really cared about the subject, it just gave a chance for guys to drool over the teacher teaching it.

"Good morning, class!" She'd always start by greeting everyone with a smiling face; which was probably one of the reasons why every one really liked her. She had her long brown hair fastened with a simple white ribbon and wore a plain white dress with lilac straps and detailed with a few flowers – she was really pretty.

"Good morning, Miss Aerith!" The day we all met her, she asked everyone to call her by her fore name.

"Okay, well, today we'll be going over some the topics which you find most challenging so you'll be able to answer questions much more confidently."

"Miss Aerith!" Someone called from the back. It was Selphie- who was considered the gossip queen.

"Yes, Selphie?"

Selphie took a quick glance at Zack (who had a huge crush on Miss Gainsborough) before she continued. "Is it true that you and Mr. Strife are going out?"

Zack immediately sat up from his leaning posture and had his eyes on Miss Aerith. Larxene, who was sitting next to Kairi, started saying something to Namine and Kairi. "Man, it is so obvious that she just wants to make him upset."

"Make who upset?" Namine was oblivious to the whole situation since she was usually in her own world.

Kairi and Larxene looked at Namine like she was an alien. "You really have no idea what goes on on Earth, do you?"

Namine just remained silent and looked to where all the commotion was coming from and saw Zack looking quite alerted. Then she turned back to Kairi and Larxene, with a slight depressed aura surrounding her.

"Oh..."

"Aww, why so glum?" Kairi said throwing her arm around Namine's shoulder.

Namine had known Zack ever since she could remember. Her memories with him take her back before anything. As kids, they always played in the park together, stayed at each others houses and even used to share the same ice cream. Of course, this was way back when they were little. The thought that she used to share ice cream with this guy always manages to flush her cheeks a violent red. Until one day, when they realised that guys hang out with their guy friends and girls hang out with their friends, shopping or whatever. Not playing, 'Invaders from Planet X' with your best bud who's of the opposite sex. So they stopped seeing each other as much; and that's how it went. They were like best friends and before she knew it, Namine felt attached to him in another way. But she never told him, and keeps her secret to this very day. The only ones who know are her two best friends Kairi and Larxene.

"You still got feelings for him, don't ya?"

Namine looked up and smiled at her company. Her small forced smile, was quickly wiped off as she turned back to face the Miss Aerith at the front of the classroom.

"No dear," Miss Aerith began. "Where did you get an idea like that from?"

Zack let out a huge sigh of relief and as he did so, he let himself fall onto his desk.

0o0

Lunch didn't hesitate to arrive. Soon the corridors and the cafeteria were flooded by the entire school population. Namine usually spent her lunch hanging out with Larxene and Kairi sitting at the benches in the school garden, but Larxene and Kairi both had cheerleading practise, so that left Namine on her own. They had both urged Namine to become a cheerleader before, but Namine already knew that she was no good at that sort of stuff and that she would never make the team. So Namine sat on her favourite bench, took out her sandwich and her sketchbook from her bag; this peaceful atmosphere was just perfect for drawing in.

What Namine also loved about this area was that no one else would ever come here, so it was like their special little area. The area was surrounding in lush green grass, beautiful flowers and even a little pond with tiny fish swimming inside. Now, what to draw... Something happy... The first thing that came to mind was her two best friends. Without them, Namine wouldn't know how she would have survived in this world. She opened her sketch book to a new clean page, took out a nice HB from her bag and began her drawing.

Namine was well into her sketch now, pretty much completed. All that was left to it finish it was a pretty background of their favourite place.

"Um, hey."

That's strange. Namine heard a voice and it wasn't coming from Kairi or Larxene. Who could have possibly come here?

"Long time no see, Namine."

Namine couldn't believe her eyes. It was Zack. Her best childhood friend. The person that she'd always use to play with. The one person she secretly had a crush on. He greeted her with a childish grin; like he used to. It was like nothing had changed, like it was all still the same. All of a sudden tears began to gather in Namine's eyes, and Zack came to realise.

"Hey, hey! Don't cry!"

That didn't exactly help. Tears began pouring out of her eyes and she couldn't control it.

"Ouch, the first time I see you in ages and I make you cry." He walked closer and sat on the bench beside her. He put his hand on Namine's shoulder which pulled her closer to his side. Namine's tears began to dry out as her face turned as red as a tomato, but Zack didn't seem to notice, thank God!

"Hehe, that made you stop, didn't it?"

He really hadn't changed at all. He was still that fun-loving child, always smiling, always positive. That was what Namine really loved about this guy.

"So...how have you been Nami?" That was what he used to call her.

"Okay" Was all she managed to get out her mouth.

"That's good. Ya' know, I had know idea that you were in my science class! It was only until Miss Aerith walked over to the back row that I actually saw you there..."

Namine didn't know what to say, she really couldn't get anything out her mouth. She couldn't get around the sudden nostalgia.

"And that reminded me of all the times that we had spent together. Ya' know I never wanted to lose our friendship, I don't even know how it happened."

Namine's heart was beating so hard that it was going to fly out of chest. So Zack really did feel the same way. Well, about wanting to stay friends. This made her feel so happy, like the pieces of the puzzle were finally beginning to fit.

"I really want to stay friends with you, Zack."

Namine looked up to his face. He gave her a huge smile.

"I really did hope that you'd say that. I always did feel that a part of me was missing when you weren't around."

Her happiness just kept growing. Nothing in her whole life had ever gone so well. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

"Hey, um, Nami? Do you like music?"

Did she like music? She loved it! It always helped her calm down and relax. It always managed to give her that extra little confidence boost when she needed it.

"Yeah, I love it."

"Really!?" Again, that childish grin. "Well, there's this group of guys which I met down at the skate park, and they told me that they'd put this band together and that they were booked for this gig at that club down Montague road."

"Really. That sounds...fun."

"Yeah! It's so awesome! And, yeah...I was wondering if you'd like to come with me, Nami."

Oh my God was all Namine could think. She was going to explode. All this time, Zack had barely spoken a word to her and now he was asking her out! Well, maybe not _exactly _asking her out, but he was clearing trying to deepen their friendship, and that was really all Namine needed.

"Sure."

"Great! Well, I'll come tell you about the time and all that stuff when I find out." He stood up. "See you around Namine, hey what lesson you got next?"

Namine quickly flipped open her side bag and checked her planner. "I.T."

"Ah damn, I got P.E. Well see ya' later."

"'Kay, bye."

After Zack had gone, Namine packed up her things and got ready to meet Kairi and Larxene at E-Block (Maths and IT). When she got there, she waited on the steps and used that time to fantasise. How different was her life going to be now that Zack and she were talking again? She had to tell Kairi and Larxene about this.

"Hey Namine! How was lunch?" Larxene. Loud as usual.

"Alright."

"Yeah well let's continue in class otherwise we're gonna be late."

The three of them rushed up to IT 4 and luckily just made it. The sound of the class was probably like 100 decibels above the excepted classroom voice and of course, this amount of noise was not going to remain unnoticed.

"Yo! Quiet down, people! Geez Louise, you're all like animals." Mr Leonhart finally made his appearance. He was a mysterious guy. He was very firm; no one dared to disobey him, yet there was something that let you know that inside he was just a big softie.

"Right, so last lesson I got you guys to create that form on access and you should have made it look pretty and whatever, and you also entered that data list we got off the DiDA website..."

He looked into his teachers' planner and an evil expression masked over his features.

"...and your HOMEWORK was to add in five new entries. Now let's pick someone at random...YUNA!"

Yuna immediately arose from her seat like a military student. "Y-yes, sir."

"Give me a number between 1 and 27."

"Erm...19?"

"19 it is...let's see, that'll be...TIDUS!"

"Yeah?"

"Give me your student code."

"19884."

There were a few moments of silence. No one spoke a word.

"...Detention."

The silence continued.

"So yeah, just get on with your 'Gathering Info' stuff. And Tidus, up here."

Namine, Kairi and Larxene sat in the back row so they covered by a sea of monitors, perfect for talking in class.

"Soooo..." Larxene began. "What did you do today?"

Namine remained silent for a brief moment; should she tell them the truth or make up something? But then again, she'd never lie to her two best friends and she actually did want them to know the good news.

"Well..." She stopped momentarily to see Larxene edging closer towards her, listening intently.

Kairi rolled her eyes and nudged her back. "Give her a little space then."

Larxene stuck her tongue out at Kairi before Namine continued.

"...I was sitting out at our favourite bench... and then Zack showed up, and we began tal-"

"Wait, what!? You mean Zack Fair? The Zack!?" Larxene was practically shouting at loud, and this unexpected outburst grabbed everyone's' attention.

Without moving his vision from the computer screen, Mr Leonhart said, "Hey, if you don't keep the noise down I'm gonna move you three."

"Larxene, you gotta keep the noise down y'know." Kairi said with a slight tone of annoyance.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just wow! You and Zack were together?"

The words '_You and Zack ...together_' spun around in Namine's head. She about how the words sounded...this caused her to instantly blush.

"N-no no! It's not like that! We were just talking."

Larxene let out a little smug grin, "I never said any like _**that**_, sooo...what are you trying to hide."

Namine continued with the denial and the rest of the day was pretty much the same.

"Hey guys, you two what up at the gate, I'm just gonna put these books away." Namine stood there carrying about ten different text books.

"Yeah sure, see you at the gate." Called out Kairi before Namine was hurrying off to her locker.

'_I won't need these tonight so I can just leave them at school' _Namine thought as she continued down the long corridor, and just as she turned the corner to find her locker, who did she find standing right beside her locker...

"Hey Nami!" Zack called approaching towards her.

"h-hi," She was lost for words.

"I asked around for your locker number, and luckily they weren't lying to me." He flashed her a cheesy grin, and Namine stood there pretty much a statue.

"Oh hey, those books look heavy." He took the load off Namine's hands.

"T-thanks."

"No problem." She smiled again and loaded the books into her locker. They both remained silent for while; Namine was still trying to take in the moment, until Zack spoke up.

"Well, a couple of my friends who attend Destiny High..."

_Destiny High; a leading institution for young masters...An independent all-boys school._

"...have put together a band, and they asked me to come see them this weekend, and I was wondering..."

Namine's eyes suddenly widened, luckily Zack was looking at her so he didn't realise. _'Oh my god! He is going to ask me the question!?' _Her head was going to explode!

"...If you'd like to come with me?"

'_Oh My God Oh My God!!! He actually asked me out...sorta...Oh My Go! He asked me out!'_

"S-sure, Zack."

"Great!" He grinned from ear to ear. "So I'll pick you up from your house on Saturday, is that okay?"

'_Is that okay? It's bloody brilliant!'_

"Yeah absolutely fine." She managed a smile.

"Awesome. So, see ya Saturday!"

"Bye." Zack took off down the corridor, and Namine couldn't help but stare as he made his way out.

Namine couldn't believe today. She couldn't wait to tell Kairi and Larxene all about it, but most of all she couldn't wait for Saturday to come.

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Reviews are HIGHLY appreciated =) And any advice on how to make it better are very welcome


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